The present invention relates to a video display device according to the HDMI-CEC standard.
From the past, video display devices according to the HDMI-CEC standard (hereinafter termed the HDMI standard) have become generally widespread. Such a video display device is connected to a device according to the HDMI standard (hereinafter termed a HDMI device) with an interface according to the HDMI standard. And, in the HDMI standard, not only a digital format for transmission and reception of video signals and audio signals is prescribed, but also a digital format for transmission and reception of control signals is prescribed. Here the video display device may be, for example, a television. Moreover the HDMI device may be, for example, a DVD recorder or a DVD player.
When the power supply to the video display device described above is turned on or the like, it transmits and receives the above control signals to and from an HDMI device which is connected to the video display device. Due to this the video display device displays the channel number of its external input, such as “HDMI1”, “HDMI2” or the like, as an OSD (On Screen Display). The user looks at this display and changes over to any desired external input channel.
It should be understood that, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2001-313875, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2005-340968, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2001-7824, there is disclosed a display device which displays a list of devices which are connected to the display device. Moreover, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2000-286880, there is disclosed a display device which displays the flow of signals between itself and an AV device.
However, in recent years, the connection of a plurality of HDMI devices to a video display device has become more and more popular. Due to this, it quite often happens that the user does not remember what devices he himself has connected to the various external input channels. Moreover a video display device of the type described above does not go so far as to show the details of the HDMI devices which are connected to it, as described above. For example, the name of the maker who manufactured the HDMI device and the device type of the HDMI device and so on are not displayed.
Accordingly, even though the user is able to ascertain the channel numbers of the external inputs, he is not able to ascertain what types of HDMI devices are connected to the various external input channels. Thus, with a prior art type video display device, there has been the problem that the user sometimes mistakenly performs replay with an HDMI device using an external input channel which he did not want to use, and so on.
The object of the present invention is to provide a video display device, with which it is possible for the user to ascertain what types of HDMI devices are connected to the various external input channels.